UPDATE: Constitutional Court ruled the constitutionality of the bill increasing teachers' wages

The Constitutional Court ruled the constitutionality of the bill increasing teachers’ wages a press release of the institution reads on Wednesday. This decision was approved with a majority of votes. Thus, the bill approving the government’s ordinance no. 15/2008 on increasing teachers’ wages for 2008 is constitutional.

A similar decision was taken unanimously for another law on the public pension scheme and other social insurance rights, that rules the increasing of pensions for groups I and II. Plus, regarding Romania’s President request on law 94/1992 regulating the management of the Court of Accounts, the Court decided that the law complies to the fundamental law.

UPDATE

Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu declared that he found out with surprise about the Court’s decision to increase the teachers’ wages by 50%. The measure, in his eyes, will send Romania in a major crisis that would deter all efforts and performances Romania registered over the past years.

However, Tariceanu declared that the bill had to be officially promulgated by the President and that there was no final decision on what would eventually happen. Tariceanu declared that even though his attitude would cost him important electoral capital loss, it is not in Romania’s long and medium term interest to support such a decision in practical terms.